Citizens 2

Scott Rogers, an avid amateur Toronto photographer with his own portfolio web site, woke up to a winner and a front page Toronto Sun photo.

"FOLKS!! My picture is the cover of the Toronto Sun today! Woooo! A dream come true," Scott writes in a Scott From Canada blog posting.

In the posting, Scott describes how he was awakened by the first explosion, grabbed his camera and snapped away. Later, he posted photos on Flickr and YouTube seeking buyers.

Before he knew it, the Toronto Sun was asking him for exclusive rights to his photos, a deal he accepted.

But Scott, somewhat frustrated, added this to his posting:

"Fucking hell. This has turned into a bit of a nightmare! I submitted a few of my pics to CNN, and cp24 like I always do in case one MIGHT get used somewhere. These deals are always non-exclusive deals so no problem.

"Not this time! I've now been asked by the Toronto Sun, the National Post and I just got a call from CNN as well! I was talked into doing an exclusive deal with the Toronto Sun so now I have to say no to everyone else. Which is kinda tough after Ive already uploaded the pics to CNN . . . But I told the guy and he said he'd put a note on it so hopefully they just wont use mine and find someone elses. I don't wanna get sued out of all this! No one has ever wanted my pics before so this is quite the learning experience."

Exactly - a learning experience.

We don't know what Scott was paid, but in our day a freelance front page colour photo in the Toronto Sun meant at least a $300 cheque. An exclusive fed to Sun Media newspapers across Canada should be worth at least a thousand.

What would Scott have raked in if he offered his photos to the highest bidder, flogged his photos to all interested media or restricted the Sun to the Canadian rights?

Scott Rogers got his front page in the Sun, an ego-boosting exclusive he might never experience again in his lifetime.

From the wording in his posting, it is clear he now knows when you have "the" shot, milk it for what it's worth.